When I grow up, I want to be, a rock and roll star
by skarlett-ami
Summary: It's four years on,and the breakfast club has all but disbanded,save for Claire and Bender. They moved to California to go to college,and Bender has given up all his bad habits.Then an old friend comes to stay,and throws his life into chaos.
1. Let the games begin

disclaimer I've just remembered I had to add one of these. So here goes. I don't own Bender and Claire, those characters are owned by the people who wrote them. Simon and Savannah are,however,mine,hee hee. This is my first ever story,so reviews are welcome,bad or good. Apologies for the language-you may ask, is it really needed? In response, all I can say is-have YOU ever hung around a bunch of college boys?

John Bender stared up at the sun with a smile on his face. He was sat on the quad outside Claire's lecture hall,waiting for her with his friend Simon,from back home. They talked about Chicago,about the old times,about the new times, about everything,until Simon came across the topic that John most dreaded.

"So,you guys have been dating,what,four years now? Hows things going? Gonna get married, do the kid thing?" John shrugged,Claires smiling face in his mind. He ran a hand through his long hair, the only vestige that remained of his past. Claire had cleaned him up,put him on the straight and narrow,given him the confidence to aim higher,to fulfil his potential. He'd gotten into college on a scholarship,far far away from the cold streets of chicago that haunted his past. Claire was proud of him, A psychology major. He planned to devote the rest of his life to making her proud of him. But he could not bring himself to cut off his hair.

"yeah,I think we are. I'm not the person I used to be,Si. I'm on the way up." Simon looked him over,not particularly impressed. Simon wore the clan colours of the grunge movement that was scouring the west coast-flannel shirt, old jeans,greasy hair. John looked like poster boy for the Fraternity. Times did indeed change. Simon shook his head,disappointed that John had chosen to waste his talent in favour of this,this...lobotomy.

"But Bender,man,you were a demon with a guitar in your hand. I remember,when you sang for us...man,we could have made it,with you. Why you letting that get away from you?" John,looked at him,face serious.

"I don't want it Si, I really don't." The expression on his face was earnest,not betraying the pang of regret that shot through him,when he thought of the other path he could have chosen.

"Liar." Simon said,softly. John,shook his head. He would not let it be a lie. Simon flopped back on the grass,his hand over his face to shield from the hot California sun.

"At least,tell me this woman you've forsaken fame and fortune for is good in bed. She's gotta be." John opened his mouth,then closed it. Simon took his hand from over his eyes and stared at john in utter shock.

"You're kidding. I mean...you HAVE fucked her,right?" John frowned.

"Don't talk about her like that. Me and Claire are different. We go deeper than sex." Simon made a disgusted noise

"Ladies and gentlemen,today we have witnessed a miracle. We have seen the infamous dawg John Bender,well and truly pussy whipped!" He announced to the quad at large. John hit him on the arm.

"Shut up,Claire's catholic,she wants it to be perfect. So,I'm gonna make it perfect" Simon laughed

"Yeah, man, does that keep you warm,when you're all alone at night?" He grinned and jerked his hand back and forth,groaning and rolling in the grass "oh...claire...oh Claire!" He grunted. John,laughed,reluctantly and punched him again

"Shut the fuck up,man,you don't know what you're talking about."

"I know you're going to marry the fucking prom queen,man. What happened to you?" John smiled,the image of Claire's perfect features once again returning to his mind.

"She saved me,Si. She saved my life." Simon took in John's rapturous expression,feeling sad.

"That's a matter of opinion" He muttered. They sat in silence for awhile, until, suddenly, Simon sat up.

"Oh,shit,Bender, I should have told you. I brought someone with me,as y'know, your disco has well and truly died." John groaned and rubbed his hands over his face.

"Ah,shit,Simon,you brought one of your stoner friends with you,didn't you?" Simon smirked.

"well,sort of..." John groaned again.

"ah,fuck. Claire's gonna shit a brick." Simon laughed and slapped him on the back.

"Don't be like that man,you're gonna love her." He chuckled,as Johns expression turned thunderous.

"her? HER? Tell me you didn't bring one of your coked-up skanks,Si,man...You're a shithead."

Simon laughed and shook his head. A thought occurred to John.

"You are not allowed to have sex in my house,Simon, I mean it." Which just made him laugh harder,until he was bent double,tears squeezing out of his eyes.

"What's funny? I'm not kidding." Simon forcibly calmed himself,taking deep breaths until he could speak again.

"Dude, there are not enough ways to say how off the mark you are. Savannah...well,she...bats for the other team,y'know?" Johns face rounded as realisation dawned.

"oh. OH!" Suddenly,images of a hairy butch lesbian cozying up to claire flashed through his mind. "she's not gonna..?" Simon caught his drift,grinning from ear to ear and shaking his head.

"don't worry about your princess,college boy, Claire isn't her type." John relaxed,laying back in the grass.

"So why did you bring her?"He asked,turning his head to look at Simon,his hand to his face,to ward off the midday glare.

"She's the new vocalist for our band. We're en route to L.A. to meet up with the rest of the guys." John nodded,appeased.

"okay,she can stay with us,as long as there's no drugs." Simon shook his head again.

"We're not into that anymore. Savannah,she thinks drugs are for wimps. She managed to convince us all to give them up,as they were impeding the creative process." He smiled.

"You two are gonna get along like a house on fire." Simon actually wasn't so sure of that,but he was looking forward to shaking Bender up a bit. Back in the old days,He would have drooled all over her. Simon had to admit the girl was some kind of fine. It was too bad about the lesbian thing. ahh,fuck it,he thought,you win some,you lose some. At that moment, claire walked out of the building and looked around for them.

John's heart skipped a beat as their eyes met. She smiled at him, short circuiting his brain. God,she was beautiful. A dark thought occured to him. Was he only still with her because she hadn't let him sleep with her? Would he still love her if his desire didn't clamour in his ears every time he looked at her? He pushed the thought away and got to his feet, holding out a hand to help Simon up.

"Claire, this is Simon,my old buddy from school." She smiled and shook his hand,her eyes blank and neutral.

"Simon,you remember Claire,right?" Simon grinned

"The most popular girl in school?Are you kidding?" She laughed,flattered. Simon took in her appearance. Apparently,Most Popular translated over to college. He wondered if she was in a sorority. Hell,she probably RAN the sorority. Over Claire's shoulder,he spotted Savannah sauntering towards them, looking perfectly comfortable in the sweltering heat.

"Hey,here she is,"He said,waving at her. "Savannah? Over here!" She smiled as she approached them,looking both John and Claire over.

"Hey,Simon,you didn't tell me your old friend was Dudley Do-right." Simon felt himself smirk,then looked at John,to guage his reaction. He looked like he'd been hit between the eyes with a hammer.Simon laughed inwardly. Let the games begin.

John felt like time had gone into slow-mo. Jesus. The girl walking towards him was tall,almost his height, Shapely,with generous curves in all the right places. Her hair was jet black,cascading around her in long unstyled waves,giving her an air of wildness. As she ran her hand through it,he saw it slip through her fingers like strands of silk and felt his gut tighten. She wore tight acid washed jeans that were frayed and torn in several places,and a khaki green tank that clung to every luscious curve. Her skin was light golden brown,the colour of milky coffee,and her black rimmed eyes were exotic,and promised sin,of the most pleasurable variety. John's palms itched as heat flooded his body. How could this girl be a lesbian? She exuded sensuality from every pore.She came up to them,and John caught her scent as she brushed past him,it was drugging,heady. He wanted her instantly. He felt Claire's arm around his waist and looked down at her,startled. Her pale,delicate face smiled up at him,but her eyes were wary. She had seen his reaction. John cursed himself for a fool who had gone too long without,and promised himself he would make it up to her. The girl slung her arm around Simon's shoulders and leaned on him lazily, her eyes half closed. He felt her eyes sweep over him,and thought the lazy attitude was deceptive. She was alert,and aware.

"So..." She drawled,her accent touched with a hint of the southern states. Not much,but enough to be noticable. "are you going to introduce me to your friends Simon? This girl looks like she wants to bite my arm off." She chuckled,and John looked down,catching the daggers in Claire's eyes an instant before she masked them. Her face was once again a pleasant smile,as she offered her hand to the girl.

"Hi I'm Claire,and this is my boyfriend John." John nodded curtly,not meeting her eyes."Are you Simon's girlfriend?" Claire asked,her tone polite,but loaded with meaning. Savannah looked at John,then at Simon,who shook his head almost imperceptibly. Better to be let it be known she was of the other persuasion than to suffer this girls jealousy the whole trip.

"Nope." Savannah smiled widely and shook the girl's hand "My name's Savannah,by the way.I prefer mine a little...softer,if you know what I mean?" Her hand lingered too long on Claires,her fingertips trailing over Claire's ivory skin. John saw callouses on the girls fingertips and wondered if she was a musician. Guitar,by the looks of it. He had matching callouses on his own hands. Then he caught the thread of what was going on and put his arm around Claire's shoulders,fighting a smile at the widening of her eyes as she realised what was going on. He knew instinctively that this was a show for Claire's benefit,and not the true Savannah. It was a clever way to deflect jealousy,but it might backfire. John knew that deep down,Claire was a little homophobic. To his shock,Claire didn't pull her hand away,but stared into Savannah's eyes for a long moment,her mouth a small "o" of surprise. Savannah looked at John and smiled slowly,making John's pulse speed up, then,taking her time, eyes fixed on his, she raised Claire's hand and gently turned it palm up, kissing the inside of her milk white wrist. Claire blushed fiercely,but still did not pull her hand away. she stared at Savannah's lips resting over her pulse,watched her take a deep breath. John felt himself frowning. What was happening here? He looked back at Savannah,whose eyes were still on him, then to Simon,whose gaze was also locked on John. He looked amused. John frowned a question at him. Simon raised an eyebrow and licked his lips. "You'll see" the expression said. John didn't like the challenge in both pairs of smiling eyes.

"It's a pleasure to make your aquaintence,Claire." Savannah said,her voice soft and low. John felt a twinge of possessiveness over the sultry,inviting way she spoke. This was his girlfriend,dammit. Simon had said she wouldn't do this. Although,Claire didn't look like she minded,not in the least. Closing her eyes,Savannah sighed and dropped Claires hand. She straightened up and smiled at Simon. He chuckled. "Happy now?" He asked her,joking. She smiled back at him and bit her full lower lip,shaking her head.

"Not yet,dear friend,not quite yet." Simon laughed and shook his head.

"Not now,Savannah." He warned,but his eyes were dancing.

"I've got time."She replied, her eyes half closing. She looked at Claire,who had woken out of her trance and was smiling pleasantly,as if nothing had happened. John was confused. What was he missing? Something important had just happened,he was sure of it. Savannah spoke to Claire,her voice harmless and calm.

"I think we should leave these two to catch up,don't you,Claire?" She said. Claire nodded enthusiastically,as if spending time with a grunge lesbian,even one as beautiful as Savannah was something she did every day.Savannah looked at Si and John.

"Where do you guys want to meet us?" Si looked at John,who rubbed his hand over his mouth,thinking.

"There's a bar on the other side of campus,we could meet there if you want?" Si chuckled.

"Course we do! See you at five,girls?" The two girls both nodded.

The two of them walked off,chatting amiably.

"Hey,no funny business,Sav!" Simon called after them. She turned back,flashed a smile like a brief glimpse of the sun,and winked. Then they were gone,round a corner.

Simon let his breath out on a gust.

"God,hate to see her go,love to watch her leave..." He said ruefully. John looked at Simon,a little annoyed.

"Does she do that much?" He said,absurdly jealous. Simon laughed quietly.

" Yeah,she does it to everyone. The only reason she didn't do it to you was Claire.Wait til she gets you alone." John was utterly perplexed.

"Is it a sexual thing, or is she just crazy?" Simon clapped him on the back.

"Sensual,but not sexual. Don't get the wrong idea,she wasn't coming on to your princess. She's just a bit weird. She has all these theories about being able to smell a person's intentions on their skin. It's bizarre. We met her last year when we were on tour in the South." They started walking. John said, "So,what you wanna do?" Si slung an arm around Bender's neck and said "I don't know about you buddy,but I could use a cold beer. This heat takes some getting used to." John laughed, shaken out of his uneasiness,and they headed toward the bar they were going to meet the girls in later.

"So, what happened?" He asked Simon,who gave him a blank look.

"Oh,you mean with Sav?Right, we're playing this shitty redneck bar in Tennessee,and it's a fucking riot, bottles being thrown at the stage, fights in the pit,that sorta thing, and we're about halfway through the set, we hear a crash,and then the place is in uproar,so we bolt backstage and consider making a break for it. Then,out of nowhere, this chick with a black eye and a split lip runs into our dressing room and bolts the door behind her.

'Quick' she says ' I need your help' And we all look at each other like, what the fuck is this? Underneath the bruises she looked pretty hot, y'know, and who were we to refuse a hot chick in need? 'sure,baby', Trey, our bassist, says 'what do ya need help with?' she looks at the door like she's waiting for someone to bust through it and says 'there are some guys out there who are trying to kill me.' Then we laugh,cos you know,it sounds pretty farfetched. 'what do you want us to do about that,honey? We're just the band,y'know?' I said, sorta pissed off. We learned pretty early on in the tour that chicks'll pretty much do anythin to sleep with a musician,get that easy ticket,y'know?So,she shakes her head, says 'No,dude, it is so not like that.I just need a ride to the next town,if I leave here on my own tonight and they see me I'm fucking dead.' She looks all serious and scared, so before we know it,we're in the truck, with her sitting like a scared rabbit on the wheel arch,busting ass to make it to the next town. When we get there,Trey pulls over next to a motel and opens the van. 'dude' he says to me 'if we're dropping her off here,we might as well crash too. We've got a show uptown tomorrow night,and it saves us hiking all over town for nothin.' I nod,so we get out,check in,and invite her round to ours for a party. She nods,all shy like, and sits in the corner with a beer,not sayin boo to anyone for ages. Eventually, I get my acoustic out to have a jam, coz y'know I was pretty wasted,and that's what you do when you're wasted,right? So I'm strummin for a bit, then joey, the drummer says to her 'hey,baby,what's your name?' She looks at him,bitin her lip like she's about to lie,then thinks better of it and says 'Savannah Acierame.' Now,joey's a friendly guy. Fuckin' fruit,but a demon on the skins,y'know, so he holds out his hand and says 'Nice to meet ya,Savannah. I'm Joey, that waster with the guitar is Simon,the guy who drove the truck is Trey, that dude in the corner is Ollie.' Then he smiles,all sly like and says 'it's nice to meet one of my own.Not many of us down these parts' She grins and says he's not kidding, then Trey asks her what those guys were after. She says, 'I slept with their girlfriends' And Joey starts laughing 'oh man, have I ever been there' he says, shaking her hand, and throws her another beer. They laugh, then after awhile, she nods at me. 'you guys are pretty tight.' she says. I say, 'sure,we're trying',then Trey says to me, 'yeah,we're trying,but there's something missing,si,you know there is.' I nod and say 'yeah. I know I'm okay on vocals,but we're lookin for a real vocalist,y'know. Someone who can really wail.' All the guys sort of nod, and she just looks thoughtful,so we go quiet for a bit,and I start playing a song, Nirvana I think It was. They're this new band from seattle-they're gonna rule the world,I just know it. So, quietly, she starts singing along. So quietly we can hardly hear her,but it's nice, sweet. Then she closes her eyes, starts to get into it, and when the next chorus comes around, she really lets rip,and I knew,right then and there. I knew she was the one"


	2. stay of execution

**Disclaimer** John and Claire not mine.Film quotes not mine. song lyrics not mine.

A/N : this is only a short one,sorry. Be patient, this is building up to something.

"...so we offered her the job right then and there," Simon finished as they opened the doors to the bar.

John ordered them both a beer and led Simon to a dark secluded corner,far away from the noisy,mostly college-student crowd.The lights were dim and the atmosphere was smokey,and in the corner an old fashioned wurlitzer spewed old fashioned country music. Nobody was paying any attention to it,or to anyone elses business. Simon quite liked the place. They slid over the red vinyl benches into a booth.

Simon leant his elbows on the table and fished in his jacket pocket for his cigarettes. He offered them to John,who took one without thinking,not remembering he had quit until the first drag burned in his lungs. Coughing her reached for his beer and took a deep swallow. But he didn't throw his cigarette away. Simon narrowed his eyes as he watched him,a half smile lingering on his mouth. John took the second drag slower,and spoke on the exhale.

"So, is she that good then?"

Simon nodded enthusiastically, lighting his own cigarette.He dragged a hand through his rumpled peroxide blonde hair and stared into the middle distance for awhile,formulating his response.

"And then some,buddy. You should see her. She's like...pure sex. The air around her wavers in the heat,man,it's incredible. Sometimes her voice is like broken glass,sometimes it's like silk,but it's always real,it's always honest. She never puts on all that fake sexy stuff you get with most female vocalists, she IS sexy,and when she feels horny,the whole fucking world knows about it,because you can hear it in her voice. I...can't explain it. You won't understand,until you've heard her sing. Like,you know, with most good singers,it's like they drag their hearts out of their chests and lay it bare for the world to see,with savannah, it's like when she does it, you realise that that's exactly how you feel. She just seems to know. Maybe she picks up on the undercurrents in the air,whatever. She's incredible.The same way you used to be." John opened his mouth to protest,but Simon stopped him.

"No Bullshit,Bender. You were that good. Once upon a time." John sighed and changed the subject.

"She sounds interesting. I'd like to see her perform"

Simon cackled and slapped his hand on the table,

" Bull,man, you mean, you wanna see her naked." He laughed. John sat up, outraged.

"No!" he exclaimed "No,that's not it at all! I've got Claire,she's more than enough woman for me." Simon snorted as he tapped his ash in the ashtray.

"No, you've just gone too long without. Your poor dick has lost it's connection to your brain.

I mean,sure, Claire's pretty,she's polite, she smells like Chanel number five. Whatever. Savannah's something else entirely. And you know it." He smiled, leaning in to John.

" Do you remember,Bender. All those girls..._over the bra...under the blouse...shoes off,hoping to god your parents don't walk in? Over the panties,no bra...blouse unbuttoned...Calvins in a ball on the front seat past eleven on a school night..._" He smirked, and John couldn't help himself from smirking back. The best line he ever used on a woman. He remembered. It was never the same line twice,but it was always the same MO, catch the eye of a pretty girl,hold it,hold it...just long enough for her to feel uncomfortable,then speak slow,soft profanity in her ear until you got that look from them, that look that said what you were seeing in your mind,they were seeing in theirs. Then you had them man,hook line and sinker.Do a little dance,make a little love... There was a fierce joy in the ritual.

He used to love the crazy ones,the rebels. He'd had a thing with Allison for awhile,but they'd never hooked up. He couldn't get her to talk to him,let alone sleep with him.But she was pure energy in motion,sparking with life. He'd loved that about her.

Claire used to berate him about his past,about the "casual" sex he had with what she'd called "those heavy metal crack whores" but to him they'd been anything but casual. It had been desperate, passionate, sometimes it'd hurt, but it was never casual.

Every single girl had given him something he desperately craved; solace, unquestioning acceptance,sanctuary. And he'd returned the favour. They ran from their lives as fast as they could,doing anything,trying everything to forget the cold harsh reality;that they were poor, that they would always be poor, and they would never ever amount to anything. Better to burn out than fade away, he used to say. And man,did those nights ever burn.

Sometimes he could have sworn the whole city had felt the heat of their fires,that the whole world rang with the cries of their rebellion. But he didn't need it anymore. The harsh buzzing anger that used to drive him out of his mind was gone,drained. He'd found real peace. Real solace. He was loved. Finally he shook his head at Simon once more.

"I told you Simon,and I'll keep telling you, I don't miss it. I don't miss it and I don't need it. I'm growing up. Maybe you should too." Simon cackled and stood up.

"No way man, I'm gonna be a kid forever." He put one of his feet up on the vinyl bench, testing it. John gave him a wary look

"What the fuck are you doing?Si? SI?" He demanded. Simon didn't answer him, just shifted his weight forward and sprung up until he was stood on the bench. He swung his arms briefly for balance.

"I mean, that's what a rock star is,right?Just a big,rich kid." Si grinned down at John. He strummed away at an imaginary guitar, John tugged at his pants leg.

"Si,come down,we're gonna get thrown out" Simon shook him off, then suddenly threw his head back and squeezed his eyes shut,one hand clutching the neck of his air guitar,the other his imaginary mike, then he opened his mouth and yelled at the top of his voice:

"WHEN I GROW UP, I WANNA BE, A BIG ROCK AND ROOOOOLLLLLL STAR!"

John couldn't help it,he cracked up. Simon threw his head back and howled,then sucked in his cheeks and scowled moodily down at John, bending over and stealing the sunglasses out of his pocket,and slipping them on his face

"You gotta have the right 'tude man. You gotta make the ladies melt...treat em mean,keep em keen..." John's laughter started to get hysterical. Simon sucked in his cheeks a bit more and started rocking out on his air guitar, singing out the tune,with his foot tapping the beat.

"Dum dum,da da dum,da da da da da,dum dum da da dum..." Suddenly from the door,a loud voice rang out "I can't get no...satisfaction..." Simon looked,forgetting to pout for a second,

"Sav!" He yelled "Come on, I'm teaching bender how to be a rock star!" John laughed until tears rolled down his cheeks. Claire just stood,mouth agape. Savannah yelled back:

"Do you need my help!" Si jumped up onto the table and resumed air guitar position.

"Hell yes! Get your butt over here,woman!" She ran to the table and jumped up in one bound,spoiling her impressive feat by wobbling a little and clutching Simon for balance. John found he was looking right up at her crotch,and there was a tear in the denim on her right butt cheek. And she wasnt wearing panties. He closed his eyes and forced the image away. NO. Down boy! He leant back and took a long draught of his beer, exhaling smoke on a laugh as the two of them assumed pouty rock star attitudes. John grinned and raised imaginary drum sticks, tapping them together and yelling:

"ONE,TWO THREE FOUR!" Then the three of them launched into a rowdy version of the Rolling Stone's Satisfaction, stopping only when the bartender yelled at them to-"SIT DOWN OR GET OUT, YOU GODDAMN PUNKS!"

Simon flopped down to lie lengthways on the bench, letting out a loud "oof!" When Savannah dived right on top of him,wiggling around until she was lying on him like a couch. Simon gave Bender a pained look over her head as she wriggled around,and John had to choke back a laugh. He heard Claires voice right next to him and felt the smile fall off his face.

"What was that all about?" she asked, her voice sharp. John bit back a grin and said

"Oh,nothin' sweetie, Simon was just giving a rock star lesson,we'ren't you Si?" Si nodded and laughed,holding his hands out to John and Savannah for high fives and crowing when they obliged.

"Oh" Claire's smile was strained as she stood next to the table,awkwardly. John remembered his manners and jumped up to let her slide into the booth,but Claire's eyes were fixed on his hand. Too late he remembered the cigarette he was holding. Shit. He was for it now. Hurriedly he tossed it on the floor and stomped on it. He looked over at Savannah and Simon, who were whispering together,totally oblivious,as he cast around for something to say.

"Shit,Claire, I'm sorry, I forgot. It was just this one time and..." He trailed off, trying to think of what to say to get that vast look of disappointment off her face. She slid into the booth,her face closing into tight lines, her full lips pressed together in a thin line.

"It's alright. I'll have a cosmo,please." She said,quietly. He looked again at Simon and Savannah, who were now staring at the scene before them with something akin to horror on their faces. He nodded at Savannah and asked her

"Can I get you anything?" She nodded and dug into her jeans pocket for money. John choked back a laugh as Simon's eyes closed and he tipped his head back with the expression of a man suffering divine torture as she squirmed around. She pressed a twenty in his hand,her face still totally serious. She said softly

"This round's on me,John." John shook his head and tried to give her the money back

"I never let a lady pay for her own drinks." But she insisted,closing his hand around the bill,a slow smile spreading over her face.

"I'm not a lady John. I pay my own way. Come on, I'll help you carry the drinks." She heaved herself up from Simons lap and shuffled her way out of the booth. As they headed for the bar together, John felt a whooshing sense of relief. Claire was severely pissed at him,but Savannah had just given him a stay of execution. Suddenly he liked her,forgetting his jealousy of the way she was with Claire. He felt himself smile reluctantly. The next week or so was going to be very interesting indeed.


End file.
